


Zombie AU

by TouchingOldMagic



Series: Ghostbusters 30 Day Challenge [25]
Category: Ghostbusters (1984-1989; 2020), Ghostbusters - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, I Don't Even Know, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Zombie AU, proof reading? what's that?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25047199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TouchingOldMagic/pseuds/TouchingOldMagic
Summary: Day 25 of the Ghostbusters 30 Day ChallengePrompt: Bad Ending AULittle Oscar's teacher tries to keep it together during the zombie apocalypse.
Series: Ghostbusters 30 Day Challenge [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779643
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Zombie AU

**Author's Note:**

> I don't like bad endings and I'm not really big on AU's, so this is the prompt I was dreading the most of them all. I don't really like how it came out, but I'm out of ideas at this point. Sorry of it’s boring. And for the fact that it doesn’t really feel like GB at all.

She didn't know how things got out of control so fast.

The fire alarm went off at 3:00 P.M. at Spruce Street Elementary that day. Almost immediately it cut off, causing classrooms of students and teachers to halt their lessons in confusion and wait for something more. Seconds later the principal came over the intercom and asked all teachers to bring their students to the gym.

Nancy Bridge stared at the intercom hanging on the wall, surprised. She hadn't been told there would be a fire drill today, and teachers were always told ahead of time. But this was clearly something else. She couldn't imagine what. The unknown sent ripples of anxiety through her.

"Mrs. Bridge! Are we going to see a play?" Lisa Little asked.

Nancy forced her worries away with a smile. "You're going to find out!" She clapped her hands. "Come on, everyone, line up by last name, just like we practiced."

Her kindergarten class scrambled to obey, with a wave of excited talking and the accompanying screech of chairs on linoleum. The group of fifteen 5- and 6-year-olds created chaos for a short time at the classroom door. Nancy called for quiet as she did a quick head count twice. When she was sure she had everyone, she opened the door.

Oscar Barrett stood at the front of the line. "Lead everyone right to the gym, Oscar. No running," she said, standing back to watch and make sure everyone left the room. She was lucky this year. When the first kid in line was one who could focus, like Oscar, they rarely had any trouble traveling down the halls. "Stay in line! Watch the person in front of you. No, no running, Michael." The secret to success for young children, in Nancy's experience, was repetition and reminders.

The hallways were filled with students and teachers, and even with the reminders to be quiet it was still a dull roar, there was no way around it. But everyone was heading in the same direction, which made travel easier.

Nancy traded bewildered looks with Marsha Dutton, the other kindergarten teacher, as they filed down the hall, watching the backs of their charges. She could tell Marsha knew no more of what was going on than she did.

Fred Gardner, the vice principal, was standing by the heavy metal gym doors, keeping one propped open with his foot, as kids filed inside.

"What's going on, Fred?" Nancy asked as her class passed through and headed for their assigned spots on the gym floor.

Fred shook his head and adjusted his glasses. "There's some sort of national emergency. We're keeping the kids here until their parents or guardians pick them up. Just keep everyone calm and seated."

National emergency. Nancy felt like she had been punched. What did that even mean? It couldn't be Russia? She looked into the gym, watching to make sure her class was seated where they were supposed to.

The elementary school's gym could fit the entire school within, just barely, with children seated in their practiced rows and taking up just about every inch of space available on the floor.

Teachers walked up and down the rows, moving students closer together with little hand gestures, keeping the aisles clear, reminding children to stay seated if they got up. One of the benefits of assembly was that fewer teachers were needed to watch over all the students in a large group.

"Nancy, come see this."

Nancy turned at the sound of the voice. One of the sixth grade teachers had joined them at the gym doors. She was embarrassed that she couldn't remember his name. "See what?"

His face was white. "Teacher's lounge. The news is on. Go see." He nodded to Marsha, standing next to Nancy, to include her as well.

Nancy and Marsha exchanged a look. They went.

The teacher's lounge had a television with cable against the back wall. Usually it had a round lunch table in front of it, but today that had been pushed aside. Today the room was crowded with teachers, gathered around the TV in a semicircle.

Usually Nancy wished she was a bit shorter. A 5'11" woman wasn't someone that a lot of men were comfortable with. But today it was an asset, as she could see over the heads of most of the people between her and the screen. Marsha, beside her, raised herself up on her toes and tipped her head up as much as she could.

"Shh, shh, he's coming back on," one of the teachers said. Nancy only had a brief glimpse of some recorded footage of a street before it was replaced with the image of a news reporter. The teachers all fell silent, trained as well as their children.

"Thank you, ah," the news anchor was saying. "If you're just tuning in, the governor has announced a state-wide emergency. Evacuations are beginning, with areas being cleared as soon as safe routes can be established. The Ghostbusters have not yet been reached for comment."

The man kept talking, but the screen changed. His image was replaced with another view of the street. This time, Nancy recognized it. It was on the Upper West Side. Two men were on the screen, homeless men judging by the state of their clothes and the ratty hats pulled down on their heads. There was also a uniformed police officer, yelling and gesturing at them.

"We apologize for the graphic nature of the information being presented. This was recorded earlier today, shortly before eleven." The news anchor said something else, but Nancy wasn't listening anymore.

The two men on the screen were clearly injured. Blood ran down their arms and their chests, and they walked like they were drunk. They lurched toward the uniformed officer, who pulled out his gun. The two injured men had no reaction. As they closed in on the officer, there were small red muzzle flashes and little 'pop pop' sounds on the recording as he opened fire.

They didn't fall down.

Nancy felt a wave of vertigo. This was insane. This was... Her brain stopped giving her words, and just sent feelings. She put a hand to her chest. On the screen, the officer fell down, screaming, with the two men on top of him.

She needed to get back to the gym and watch her children.

Nancy stumbled out of the teacher's lounge, trading places with one of the fourth grade teachers coming in to see.

\--

Hours passed. The last school bells didn't ring, and the buses didn't come. Bagged lunches were brought from the cafe and passed around. Teachers escorted children to the restrooms in pairs or small groups. Other teachers came and went with updates from the news. People all over Manhattan were acting like the two homeless men. The evacuation was continuing. The police were stretched thin. No one knew where the Ghostbusters were.

Two thirds of the gym was empty now, but not one teacher had left the school grounds, as far as Nancy knew. United by their responsibilities to their charges, they all remained. Nancy's husband was a nurse at Lower Manhattan Hospital; she had called there three times but hadn't gotten through. Still, she wouldn't leave the school. Not as long as children remained on the premises.

She sat next to Oscar Barrett and Lisa Little, the only two of her class that still remained. The others she had escorted to the outside doors, one by one, as their parents had arrived to get them.   
Lookouts were posted at the doors to run to the gym any time parents arrived. So far they had been lucky. No lookouts reported seeing anyone looking suspicious or injured hanging around the school parking lot.

At first Nancy had watched the gym doors, bracing herself for any time the lookouts appeared, waiting for the report that they were under attack. She couldn't bear to look anymore, and spent her time now with her last two students, her back to the door.

"Nancy." The quiet voice and the gentle hand on her shoulder still made her jump. She turned to find Marsha, who smiled apologetically for scaring her. "Sorry, dear. The lookout just came in."

Her smile broadened, and for once since this nightmare had started, she looked hopeful. "Oscar's father is here for him. He's out front in, you know, that car. He's alone. But, I mean, he's here."

Oscar looked up, hearing his name. "Dad?" he asked, his voice cracking.

Nancy's heart surged from her stomach to her throat all at once, and she understood the hope in Marsha's face. The Ghostbusters.


End file.
